A native of northern Minnesota, Bronko Nagurski is one of the greatest football players of all time, and is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Professional Football Hall of Fame. He was a first team All-American for three years at the University of Minnesota and became a sensation in the professional ranks.

While starring with the Chicago Bears in the late 1930s, Nagurski approached Lou Thesz about wrestling in the off-season and used his great athletic skills to become a huge draw in wrestling, holding the world NWA title several times in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Bronko was a hero to millions of young athletes across thenation, including a young Minnesota wrestler named Verne Gagne. Bronko died in 1990, at the age 82, his place is sports history secure for all time.